Page 56 of Christmas Vows with the Devil

Suddenly, a light blinds me, bouncing off the mirrors.

High beams. From behind us.

I swivel in my seat, squinting into the brightness. I can barely make out the shape of a dark SUV trailing us. It’s too close for comfort, and I panic, clutching Dante’s arm, ready to warn him.

“Fuck,” he growls, swerving the car slightly onto the shoulder. The SUV follows closely behind.

“Is he trying to pass us?” I crane my neck, trying to get a better look. “I’m confused.”

Dante glances in the rearview mirror, his eyes narrowing as the headlights grow closer, the SUV looming inches behind us. Whoever’s driving isn’t slowing down, either.

"Dante..." I whisper, my voice shaky. He speeds up in response and the car struggles to gain traction on the icy road. We’re slipping and sliding across both lanes like figure skaters, gaining speed, but the SUV remains on our tail, mirroring every move.

Finally, Dante swerves onto the opposite shoulder, spewing a string of curses. The SUV rams us from behind, and I scream, clutching the door handle as the car jerks forward. Dante curses under his breath again, yanking the wheel to get back on the road.

The SUV hits us again, harder this time, forcing us further off the road.

“They’re trying to run us off the road!” I shout, panic rising in my chest.

Dante grits his teeth, the muscles in his forearms straining as he fights to keep control. But the road is slick with ice, and we’re already sliding into the ditch.

The SUV slams into us one last time, sending us careening toward the edge of the drop-off along the road. The world spins as we slide off the road, the tires hitting the snowbank hard.

For a second, I can’t breathe. My chest is tight, my heart hammering in my ears. Dante’s hand grips my arm, pulling me back to reality.

“Gia, you okay?” He’s running his hands over me, feeling for broken bones or wounds.

I nod, gasping for air, my hands shaking. “What...what just happened?”

Dante’s already unbuckling his seatbelt, climbing into the terrifying blizzard to scan the road behind us. I hear him curse as I shoot out of the car, stumbling in the knee-deep snow to reach him.

The SUV that hit us is gone, vanishing into the night like a ghost.

“They’re gone, for now,” he mutters, his voice low and dangerous. “We need to move.”

The snow is falling heavier, swirling in the air around us. My body aches, my wrist throbbing from the crash. But I push it aside. We can’t stay where we’re visible, not with assassins looking for us.

Dante guides me toward the dense pines beyond the ditch, his arm steady around my waist as I stumble in the snow. The wind bites at my skin, the cold seeping through my clothes, but it’s the least of my worries right now.

“We need to find shelter,” Dante says, once we’re crouched in the darkness. “That wasn’t an accident.”

I look up at him, my heart pounding in my chest. “What do you mean?”

“Whoever we’re dealing with is serious. They want us out of the picture.”

A chill runs down my spine, but it’s not from the cold this time. This is bigger than I thought. This isn’t just about a feud between families. It’s something darker, more dangerous.

Tears start streaming down my face without my consent. I try to dry my eyes quickly, not wanting to make the situation worse, but Dante sees and springs into action.

“There’s a barn up ahead. We’ll wait out the storm there,” he says, already pulling me along the tree line, sticking to the shadows.

I don’t argue. I don’t have the energy to. My legs feel like jelly as we trudge through the snow, the wind howling around us. I keep my eyes down, focusing on each step, on putting one foot in front of the other.

Finally, we reach the barn. It’s old and weathered, but sturdy. Dante pries the door open, and we stumble inside. The warmth of the sheltered space hits me like a wave of fire after the frigid temperatures outdoors.

I collapse onto a pile of hay, my breath coming in ragged gasps. Dante pulls the door shut, blocking out the wind. For a moment, we sit in silence, the sound of the storm raging outside.

“I don’t understand,” I finally break the silence. “Why do they want Matteo?”

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